Former news director sues KPBS for alleged retaliation over potential FCC violation
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Terence Shepherd, former news director of KPBS in San Diego, claimed in a May lawsuit that he was terminated for reporting what he believed to be an FCC violation.
The lawsuit, filed May 19 in California Superior Court in San Diego County, claims that the station violated a California labor law that prohibits employers from terminating employees for reporting wrongdoing.
A KPBS spokesperson declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The lawsuit says that on Sept. 17, 2025, Shepherd “became aware” that KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen had “apparently staged a protest scene about which KPBS was reporting.” A protestor in the allegedly staged “live shot” was holding a placard that said “FUCK ICE.”
The lawsuit does not specify which story by the station contained the image of the placard, but the Sept. 17 episode of KPBS Evening Edition on the station’s website shows Nguyen covering a protest. A person in the background is holding a sign with text that has been blurred.
Nguyen did not respond to a request for comment.
In his lawsuit, Shepherd said he reported the incident the next day to CCO Nancy Worlie, News Editor Gina Diamante and Kim Swain, senior producer of video news, according to the lawsuit. Shepherd then spoke with Nguyen twice and recommended that he be terminated.
Shepherd said in his complaint that he made clear to Worlie the seriousness of the FCC violation. “Ms. Worlie vehemently disagreed with Shepherd and made clear to him that she thought Shepherd was grossly overreacting,” the complaint said. “Shepherd also stated that he wanted to audit the reporter’s past work, and Ms. Worlie refused to do so.”
The lawsuit then claims that Shepherd was fired as a “result of [his] complaints regarding FCC violations.”
Shepherd is seeking a jury trial and damages. KPBS and its licensee, San Diego State University, have not responded to the allegations in court.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23.
Please can it be made clear the nature of the potential FCC violation? Was it that the word “fuck” was broadcast, or was it the staging of a news event? I don’t see the relevance of the “fuck ice” sign if staging a news event is the core infraction. Or, is the claim that a “fuck ice” sign was essentially the thing staged? If the latter is the case, then I’d like to know if the reporter constructed or brought along the sign, or just asked a protester with that sign to hold it up for the camera? Asking a protester to hold up their sign for the camera is a bit “stagy” but hardly a misrepresentation of events.
The lawsuit doesn’t make it clear. We added a link to the lawsuit above so you can read the full text.